Discover the colors of faith in Clinton exhibit

At Museum of Russian Icons, 'Secret Symbolism" exhibit looks at the spectrum of pigments used to paint beautiful religious works.

By Chris BergeronDaily News staff

CLINTON - In the 19th century Russian icon, one thief gazes upward from his cross at the figure of the crucified Christ while the other casts his eyes downward.Holding a magnifying glass over the upward-looking figure, Laura Garrity-Arquitt pointed out the faint gold leaf halo around the dying man's head that a nameless artisan used to remind viewers of God's omnipotence in promising the "good thief'' "today you will be with me in Paradise.''The registrar at the Museum of Russian Icons, Garrity-Arquitt worked with four college interns to organize, "Secret Symbolism: Decoding Color in Russian Icons,'' a thoughtful exhibition that makes these rare and beautiful works more accessible to visitors.They have organized a spectrum of seven colors from gold to black that unlocks not just the hidden meanings conveyed in images of Christ and the saints, the Madonna and biblical tales, but power of Orthodox Russian Christianity that inspired these wondrous artifacts.The interns who worked on the show last year include Emily Doucette, a sophomore history and French and Italian major at Salem State University, Bernadette Stadler, a sophomore international relations and French major at Brown University, Devin McFadden, a senior studying Russian civilization and anthropology at Smith College and John Bavaro, a senior studying graphic design and art at Fitchburg State University.Located in the West Gallery, the exhibit is organized into seven sections, each featuring several icons in which the key colors – gold, green, blue, dark blue, red, white and black – provide clues to the artists' intentions.For example, in the 1890 icon, "The Transfiguration,'' Christ wears billowing white robes in a circle of white celestial light that suggests purity and the presence of heavenly powers.A double major in museum studies and history at Regis College, Garrity-Arquitt came to the Clinton museum as an intern in 2007 and has since risen to her current position which she regards as a "dream job.''Gordon Lankton, former chairman of Nypro, an international plastic molding company, built the nonprofit museum with his own funds to showcase his personal collection of over 500 icons and religious artifacts, the largest private collection of its kind outside of Russia and the largest in North America.Located in an 1830 mill building that previously doubled as a town library, post office and court, the museum's interior was designed by architect David Durrant and features fiber optic lighting that allows visitors to see the icons' subtle tints with remarkable clarity.The exhibit provides viewers with a valuable tool that will enrich their understanding of the icons that were made by monks in monasteries and artisans in guilds as acts of devotion.Garrity-Arquitt said many of the colors' symbolic meanings and associations were passed along from Byzantine art and iconography.Considering icons were initially created by monks as devotional acts, similar to prayers, it's not surprising the show's largest section features the color red that can represent many things, from love, beauty, passion, royalty, sacrifice, blood and martyrs.This section includes a striking icon from around 1890 depicting the beheading of John the Baptist in which red symbolizes blood and passion while in another icon from the same era depicting Mary holding her son, red-orange pigments are used to signify the spiritual purification of the Virgin and child.Turning back to an icon from 1880 depicting the crucifixion of Christ, Garrity-Arquitt said the good thief's gold halo conveys a traditional connotation of God's divine light and the splendor of the heavenly kingdom where the repentant sinner has been promised a place.She said this particular "ancestral'' icon was unusual because it was likely commissioned by family of traditional "Old Believers'' who wanted to be able to insert a brass crucifix from around 1850 with the engraved image of Christ into the wooden panel bearing images of his follower and the two thieves.Narrow red and blue borders follow the contours of the engraved crucifix, suggesting Christ's sacrifice and the promise of heaven, respectively.Garrity-Arquitt and the interns have also made the exhibit into a bit of a geology lesson with explanations of how the artists created their symbolic colors from available minerals.For example, the color red is created from cinnabar, the principal ore of mercury, while icon artists used the mineral lazurite or azurite to create the color blue which typically symbolized heaven, mystery and the mystical life.Making his first visit from Marshfield, Roger Caswell said the color scheme provided "something like a road map'' to better understand an art form he'd never seen up close."I might've figured out some of it on my own but the color scheme lets me know I'm on the right track,'' said the retired engineer. "I just got here but I'm seeing these icons in a new light.''Chris Bergeron is a Daily News staff writer. Contact him at cbergeron@wickedlocal.com or 508-626-4448. Follow us on Twitter @WickedLocalArts and on Facebook."Secret Symbolism: Decoding Color in Russian Icons''WHEN: Through March 1WHERE: Museum of Russian Icons, 203 Union St., ClintonINFO: 978-598-5000; www.museumofrussianicons.com

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